CPA Exam Review News Blog

It's tax season at work, and you are also progressing towards your CPA certification, so it's completely normal to feel some stress right now. But how much pressure are you shouldering? Is it damaging your quality of life?

Don't look back on this season of your life and realize you missed some great days because you were always stressed out.

You may be studying for the CPA Exam, but most likely, you are simultaneously working in the accounting profession. As tax season approaches, there is undoubtedly a buzz around your office regarding taxes. And even if you are immune to filing tax returns at your job, you cannot escape filing (or at the very least, paying someone else to file) your tax return!

In a knowledge economy, having a license to back up your expertise can be the difference between getting the job (or gig, or client) and not. According to NASBA “licensure reassures the client that an individual has kept pace and is, therefore, more capable, reliable, and trustworthy to that client.” (http://tinyurl.com/NASBAlicense)

Let's face it. You have about a million things you "should be" doing. Pressure is raining down on you from every direction and it can feel a little bit overwhelming. What's hard is that the pressure isn't bad. You should be trying to make the world a better place, stand up for what's right, use less plastic, get 30 minutes of cardio in a day, adopt a dog, and on top of it all take time for yourself so you're not stressed.

There's an easy way to take control of this feeling and, maybe most importantly, be intentional and content with your decisions.

Will you make more money by taking a new position with higher pay at another company? Job swapping is more common than ever and the professional game of "bigger and better" is becoming the norm. While no one expects loyalty, and while loyalty doesn't mean the same stability as it once did, can sticking it out with a company benefit you more in the long run than chasing a higher check right now? The answer is not a clear yes or no, but you can take a look at a few factors to help you determine which answer is right for you.

Being a young accountant means having one of the widest fields of career potential in front of you. The profession is in high demand, but supply, especially of CPAs, is struggling to keep up. This favorable job market doesn't mean you should sit back and relax, but rather be ready and treat opportunity as if it were always around the corner. You should be professional to the standard of seasoned pro's, bring the energy of someone new to the industry, and able to meet every expectation as times and common practices have changed. This means your LinkedIn, handshake, Twitter, business card, and Instagram pages should all be kept to a professional standard as they will be scrutinized. The worst thing you can do is impress online and disappoint in person. Keeping everyone happy and making genuine connections can feel intimidating and taxing, but it is possible and worth it.

Everyone has heard and most of us regularly keep a "To Do" list. Their detailed tasks sit line by line on folded up sheets of paper in pockets and in the notes sections of our phones. We cross them off and in doing so, feel a sense of accomplishment. One thing we don't give ourselves credit for is the very thing which gets in the way of crossing more of those "To Do" items off.

There is a lot to learn in the process of becoming a CPA, and getting your license depends on more than just sitting for the Exam. There are even differences depending on what state or jurisdiction you are applying in. Before we dig into the details, let's cover some of the basics.

Currently, Millennials are feeling the stress and increasing pressure of debt and it's impacting many areas of their lives. The AICPA released an article called "How to Take the Stress Out of Debt" in which they talk about the mental burden debt brings on top of the financial burden. They reported that nearly 75% of Millennials have debt and 43% have anxiety from their debt. This affects their sleep, work, and relationships in negative ways. But what can you do to help with this debt stress?

Say goodbye to the Tax Season and hello to studying for the CPA Exam!

Congratulations on making it out of busy season. Take a bit of time to celebrate and savor the feeling of all you learned and accomplished in the past few months! That hectic pace of life is past, and it may be a very good idea for you to take a bit of a breather from studying. 

Don’t let the celebration drag on too long; you are already used to being highly productive and maintaining a rigid schedule, so don’t lose too much of that highly productive no-time-to-waste attitude. Pick a date on the calendar to start back to studying and stick to it.